Protecting Rights and Freedoms

Our constitutional civil rights are the heart of our democracy. We must work to ensure everyone in America is treated with dignity and that civil rights and freedoms are protected. 

That means not only ensuring that all citizens can participate freely in our democracy and maintaining trust in government institutions, but also fighting against discrimination in all forms, securing equal pay and reproductive rights for women, furthering LGBTQ+ equality, and more.

In Congress, I’m working to: 

  • Restore reproductive rights and freedoms. I believe that a woman’s personal medical decisions should be made with her doctor and her family. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it stripped away reproductive freedoms for millions of women and unleashed a wave of attacks on basic health care. Since then, we’ve heard terrible stories of women forced to carry nonviable pregnancies to term, travel long distances for reproductive health care, or wait in hospital parking lots until they were sick enough to receive care. We’ve even seen attacks on IVF treatment and access to contraception. Our daughters shouldn’t have fewer rights than their grandmothers. I’m fighting to restore and expand reproductive freedoms nationwide.

  • Protect LGBTQ+ rights. As a member of the Equality Caucus, I am committed to ensuring respect, dignity, and safety for our LGBTQ+ community. I voted to pass the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022 and was glad to see it signed into law by President Biden. The law responded to the Republican supermajority on the Supreme Court that took explicit aim at marriage equality by requiring all states to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages performed in other states and federally recognizes these marriages. The law also repealed the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act. I’m also a proud cosponsor of the Equality Act. This key legislation would provide consistent and explicit anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people across key areas of life, including employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, and federally funded programs. 

  • Restore legitimacy to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is facing a legitimacy crisis of its own making. That’s why I strongly support reforms to the Supreme Court in order to restore faith in this vital institution. I cosponsor legislation to require the Supreme Court to adopt an enforceable code of ethics so that Americans have confidence that Justices are making decisions based on the facts and the law, not private interests. Additionally, I cosponsor the Supreme Court Term Limits and Regular Appointments Act, which would establish 18-year term limits for new Supreme Court Justices.

  • Protect voters’ rights. Ten years ago, the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA), opening the door to a wave of discriminatory state laws targeting voters and restricting voting access. I support the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore and modernize the VRA’s full protections for voters in states with a recent history of discrimination. I’m also a proud cosponsor the Protecting Our Democracy Act – a legislative package to strengthen the guardrails of our democracy against presidents or other officials who seek to abuse their power for personal gain – and the Freedom to Vote Act, which would improve access to the ballot box, advance federal election standards and campaign finance reforms, and protect our democracy.